The past year or so has seen a headlong rush around the world towards simple messaging applications. Facebook’s purchase of WhatsApp shows it cannot ignore the rise not only of that service but also of others including WeChat, Line, Viber, and Kik. These services are beginning to play the role that Facebook has mostly played around the world–default mobile app for communication. Their simplicity is their strength. While Facebook is not as existentially threatened as this excellent Buzzfeed article suggests, it’s a worthy read if you want to understand the macro context in which Mark Zuckerberg felt he had no choice but to act.
Could WhatsApp Possibly Be Worth $19 Billion?
The past year or so have seen a headlong rush around the world towards simple messaging applications. Facebook’s purchase of WhatsApp shows it cannot ignore the rise not only of that service but also of others including WeChat, Line, Viber, and Kik. These services are beginning to play the role that Facebook has mostly played around the world–default mobile app for communication. Their simplicity is their strength. While Facebook is not as existentially threatened as this excellent Buzzfeed article suggests, it’s a worthy read if you want to understand the macro context in which Mark Zuckerberg felt he had no choice but to act.
By David Kirkpatrick
Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Techonomy
Founder of Techonomy, David Kirkpatrick is a journalist, commentator about technology, and author of the bestselling book “The Facebook Effect: The Inside Story of the Company that is Connecting the World,” published in 32 countries. He spent 25 years at Fortune, and founded and hosted its Brainstorm and Brainstorm Tech conferences. In addition to writing for Techonomy, he contributes to Forbes and Vanity Fair. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
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